Revenge, A Dish Best Served Bent.
by StarDragon
Summary: The...uhh...much anticipated sequel to Gender Bender. The insanity continues with S+S giving E+T a little payback...>D
1. Default Chapter

****

Revenge, a dish best served bent

Ahh yes, so this sequel pretty much takes up right from where 'Gender Bender' left off, so go on and read "G.B." if you haven't already otherwise this won't make any sense whatsoever…go no shoo….Now for those that have already read it, welcome to 'Revenge, A Dish best Served Bent'. There's, obviously, going to be revenge…and I haven't really decided what else, but it shall be fun!! Ohh and expect some OOC…I try…_I really do try _to make them in character, but I envision them as 15-year-olds with _slightly _different personalities than what they had as 10 year-olds. Not _too_ different…but a bit more…_grown-up_…(depending on your definition) So just…keep that in mind…and above all enjoy it! This is for entertainment, and hopefully I've done my job and written something you'll all have fun reading! Anyway, you all know I don't own squat, so I'll get on with things…

~~~~~

****

Syaoran's POV:

They should have seen it coming. 

__

No one, not even the always-cheerful Sakura, could put up with that sort of treatment and come off without at least a hint of animosity. They _must_ have seen it coming. I mean check the profile. 

One is the reincarnation of one of the most powerful sorcerers of all time. He's the king of evil things to do to people, so he should have recognized the signs. He _knows_ things that normal 15-year-olds shouldn't know. When he looks at you, you have the overwhelming feeling that he's reading you, that he's listening to your thoughts (and half the time he actually is…) and that's when you start getting paranoid. When he fixes you with that stare and smiles, you just _know_ he's planning something evil. 

But anyway, the point is that he knows everything, or he likes to _think_ he knows everything, so therefore, in conclusion, he should have seen it coming.

The other is Sakura's long time best friend. They have known each other a _very_ _long time. _They're cousins for Pete's sake…But anyway, one thing I know is that when you've known someone for so long, you learn and become accustomed to how they behave. You know what the subtle changes in body language or facial expressions mean. She, of _all_ people should have seen it coming. 

And I don't think it's possible for _anyone_ not to feel at least a little spiteful if they are constantly dressed up and video taped like some living mannequin.

So the point I'm trying to establish here is that they should have seen it coming a _mile_ away.

But they didn't, and that just makes things _so_ much more entertaining.

I was pacing back and forth in my lounge room. A distraught Tomoyo was sitting on the couch next to a distraught-but-not-showing-it Eriol. Tomoyo was sobbing and mumbling something about how I was being mean and nasty and how they were just joking and that they don't deserve this. 

__

Huh. 

This isn't just for that 'Gender Dance' prank they pulled…oooohhh no. I have bigger fish to fry. Now I'm not, contrary to what people might think, a very spiteful person, but as I mentioned before, there is only so much a person can take. This will be for all the times, all those _years_, I have been deliberately embarrassed in front of Sakura with that damn camera blinking and whirring in the background.

Oh, I'm going to _enjoy _this. 

I glanced at Tomoyo and Eriol, our newest victims of the Gender card. As it had done with Sakura, Tomoyo's hair had shortened, almost to a point of being cropped. I would have liked it to be a mullet, just to drive the metaphorical dagger in a bit further, but I really couldn't complain. Tomoyo no longer fit into her little feminine outfits. She looked rather uncomfortable at the moment, but I'd get her something to fix that. They are, after all, my guests, and I have been taught that you should always be a good host and make your guests as comfortable as possible. And if that means a change of clothes then I am happy to oblige…

Mwaa-haa-haa-haa…

Eriol, on the other hand was looking as stoic as usual, but I could tell by the way 'his' left eyelid kept twitching that 'he' was just _stewing_ inside. Eriol had long hair down to 'his' waist, and like I had when I was changed, had longer eyelashes, and softer features. 

And 'he' was now about a foot shorter than I was. 

It just brings a tear of joy to your eye doesn't it?

I continued my pacing, and shot a glance at Sakura. Apart from the obvious fact that she was tired, and was starting to show it, there was something else that made me stop in my tracks and kneel in front of her. 

"Sakura…are you okay?"

She blinked, her face devoid of emotion and nodded (but only slightly)…and that was all. 

Something was up…something was _definitely _up. I know Sakura well enough to know that Sakura has _never _had a face completely void of emotion. 

95% of the time she's smiling. The other 4.5% is for other things like shock, fear, confusion etc, and the tiny 0.5% is for anger, because Sakura is generally only angry with Touya.

But her face was just blank. It was freaking the hell out of me.

Ignoring the two sad individuals on the couch, I reached up and waved a hand in front of Sakura's face. "Sakura? You there?…Hello?"

Nothing at first, then she blinked, and her eyes seemed to focus back on the room. She blinked again and fixed me with a calculated gaze. "Can I speak to you in private for a minute Syaoran."

I blinked and stood up. "Uh sure…where?"

"Bedroom"

I heard a snort behind me, and whipped my head around to glare at the culprit. Eriol quickly looked away and stared at 'his' hands.

I followed Sakura into my bedroom and watched her curiously as she closed the door behind her and leaned up against it, arms crossed. She chewed her lip and looked at me with the same calculating gaze she had used before. "Syaoran?"

My accursed voice squeaked for no apparent reason. "y-_E_-s"

"Do you still have that present Meilin gave you as a gag when she visited last time?"

I frowned, partially in confusion at why she was asking, and partly in frustration as I thought of the 'gift' in question. "Uh yeah…I think so…why?"

She merely raised an eyebrow, probably the first emotion I had really seen on her face for about 30 minutes. 

Meilin made it a habit to visit us at least once a year, and last year her plane had been delayed by bad weather. So she had spent the time browsing through the various gift shops and duty-free stores that are so common in airport's. 

And she had seen '_it_'.

I will never know what possessed the person to make '_it_' in the first place.

But Meilin had thought it was a riot.

I took the look as a gesture to find the item in question. She followed behind me as I went over to my spacious cupboard. "It'll probably be in one of the boxes, Meilin wouldn't let me throw it out so I did the next best thing and hid it in here." 

Sakura nodded and pulled out the box in front of her. "It was a sort of green colour wasn't it?"

I frowned and pulled out another box. "…yeah…sort of…baby puke green…"

"Ah…that's right…"

I shuffled through the boxes of assorted junk, books, old clothes I've grown out off (includes my robes) etc, and paused. "Just why exactly are we looking for this anyway?"

Sakura looked at me and smiled, but it wasn't the smile that could light a room and clear a stormy sky. No…this was a smile, an _evil_ smile that would put Eriol to shame.

"I think Tomoyo needs a change of outfit, after all, she was kind enough to do the same for you and I…" 

Then she found it. 

I looked from her satisfied smirk to the garment in her hand. I couldn't help feel a little scared. 

"Okay, who are you and what did you do with Sakura?" This wasn't the Sakura I had fallen in love with, although, I'd be lying if I said this side of her didn't appeal to me. It was almost like all those years of repressed teenageism had finally caught up with her and was now strong enough to actually make Sakura moody.

She looked slightly piqued. "Don't be stupid Syaoran, I am perfectly capable of a little revenge as much as the next person."

I glanced at the object in her hand and mumbled under my breath, "Jeez, I'd hate to see what you'd consider a lot of revenge…"

She smiled, showing far too many teeth than was good for my composure. "What was that?"

"Uh, nothing…" I busied myself and shuffled through the box in front of me again. "So, Almighty Queen of the Universe and bestower of revenge to those that must be smoten, what else do you have in mind?"

She smirked slightly at the comment then replied, "Well, I was going to quickly fly over to my place and pick something 'nice' up for Eriol, _you_ are going to find something that clashes horribly with _this_." I watched as she waved the aforementioned garment in front of me, then dropped it on my lap. Finding something that clashes wasn't going to be difficult.

"Then when I come back we'll think of something else to do to them…" She paused, looked thoughtful, then finished. "And we'll get it all on tape."

I blinked, then rested my hand on her forehead. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She batted my hand away and glared at me with slight annoyance, "Don't be silly Syaoran, of course I'm alright, I just want to make sure they never pull anything like this again…"

"Oh…okay then…"

"…_ever_…"

"…_Right_."

"…Even their children's children will instinctively know never to pull a stunt like that _ever_ to _our_ children's children…"

"::Blink, blush:: _Our _children's children?"

Sakura sighed slightly in exasperation. "I didn't mean that literally Syaoran, _please _try and keep up…" She stood and went to get her cards. 

I mumbled under my breath, "…I wouldn't mind…" 

She stopped shuffling through her cards and looked up. "What was that?" I blushed bright red and quickly replied, "Nothing! It was nothing…"

"Well, okay then." She quickly summoned her wand and called out the fly card, the wings appearing on her back. I glanced outside and noticed that it was still raining outside, but not as hard as it was previously. Few people would be outside so she wouldn't have been seen. "Aren't you going to get wet?" She walked out onto my balcony, pushed off of the ground and hovered. "I'll use shield, and I won't be gone long…I think that pink and black cat costume should suffice."

"Pink? I thought it was cyber rose…"  
Sakura's eyebrow rose as she summoned the shield; it wrapped her in a translucent bubble. "Cyber rose?"

I shrugged, "I dunno, something I heard somewhere…do you think it will fit him…errr…her…uhh…_it_?"

"Oh yeah, I suppose it probably wouldn't would it…::shrug:: I'll just find something pink and frilly then"

I smirked. "Sounds good…be back quick though, I don't like the idea of being stuck alone with them."

She flew over the balcony rail and looked back. "You have Kero don't you?"

I replied in a slightly sarcastic tone, "Oh yeah, like he's good company…"

She giggled then flew off, the shield keeping her dry. "See you in a minute."

I waved and called back, "Bye!" then sighed as I watched her soar out of sight. 

I noted with slight irritation with myself, that the sigh was notably wistful. Heck, I wouldn't have been surprised if little pink hearts suddenly appeared and started floating around my head. 

I rubbed my face with my hand and sighed deeply, "…I need help…" and walked back into my bedroom to look for something hideous to go with the shirt. 

The pants I came up with were once again a 'gift' from Meilin…something she had wanted me to wear for a Halloween party one year…

I tossed the mostly completed outfit on the bed and wandered into the kitchen; ignoring the sobbing Tomoyo and the calm looking Eriol, and went over to my open fridge.

Kero was snoring loudly on the floor; his face was smeared with chocolate and a small mountain of wrappers surrounded him. I sucked in a breath, closed my eyes, then let it out slowly. 

He had eaten my stash…he had eaten my _whole_ stash. 

Making a fool out of me is one thing, eating my chocolate is another. 

Kero was going to pay.

I snickered evilly to myself and walked past the still sobbing Tomoyo and the-all-too-calm-looking Eriol and entered my room. 

My smirk turned malicious when I saw the Sakura book lying innocently on the bedside table. 

~~~~~~~~

****

Sakura's POV:

It only took me a few minutes to fly back home, then only a few seconds to find an outfit that was suitable for Eriol. I tucked the bright pink frilly dress into a bag and jumped back out my window, heading back to Syaoran's apartment. It was _still_ raining, I was honestly getting sick of the weather. Was it too much to ask for a little sun? It _was _starting to clear up though, so I suppose I'd just have to be patient. I had been about half way back when I felt my magic start to respond to something coming from the apartment complex I was heading for. It happened every time my cards were used by someone other than me. That didn't happen often, and it was usually only by Syaoran; like before when he used 'The Gender' on Tomoyo and Eriol.

Come to think of it, it felt like 'The Gender' was being used again…but why? Syaoran was the one that started the whole revenge thing, and it wouldn't be like him to back down on something like this.

I frowned and picked up my pace. The apartment complex came into view a few seconds later and I landed silently on the balcony, calling back 'The Shield' and 'The Fly' and caught them in my hand as the glowing dimmed. It was as I was walking into his room that I noticed a number of things. Firstly, Syaoran was sitting cross-legged on his bed looking immensely pleased with himself with the completed outfit at his feet. Secondly, I couldn't hear Tomoyo sobbing anymore…but that was mainly because it was drowned out by the ferocious growling coming form the other side of Syaoran's closed bedroom door. Thirdly; probably coming form the same thing that was making the growling noises, was the door which was shuddering violently, as would happen if someone was ramming themselves up against it and trying to scratch their way through the wood. The last thing I noticed as of yet was that Syaoran had put up a shield of his magic which apparently I could only get through, so no matter how many times the thing in the hall rammed itself against the door, it wouldn't be able to get in. 

I crossed my arms and quirked an eyebrow. "Did you use one of my cards while I was gone?"

Syaoran looked guilty for a second "Well, uhh…yeah…"

My expression didn't change, "…and it wasn't to change them back was it" For reference, it was more a statement than a question. The growling voice was vaguely recognizable. 

…And I choose the word _vaguely _for a reason…

~~~~~~~~~Minor Time Gap~~~~~~~

I've always known that Syaoran has a soft spot for chocolate, but what I didn't really know was that he has a stash of it that he hordes and guards like a dragon does her treasure. So in other words, no one touches it but him unless you want to face the dire consequences. Kero unfortunately found that out the hard way. 

If it isn't already obvious, guess who Syaoran used 'The Gender' on…?

Kero hates being called the stuffed animal…but now…it _really_ suits him…err…_her_. 

Pink is stereotypically seen as a female colour, as is a higher pitched voice and the longer (or addition of) eyelashes. Kero, if that name was really appropriate anymore, was no longer the golden winged lion...in either form. Kero in his false form, was now an attractive shade of pink. 'He' had a few very noticeable eyelashes sprouting from 'his' little black eyes. 'His' voice now resembled that of a chipmunk. In 'His' true form, 'his' voice was deeper, but still recognizable as that of a females. 'His' pink colouring was darker…more violet, but still something you'd stereotypically associate with those that possess that extra 'x' chromosome.

And 'he' was _not_ happy. 

Hence the shielding of Syaoran's room. 

Keroberos, the pinky/violet coloured winged lio_ness_ was actively trying to rip her way into Syaoran's bedroom, probably to remove Syaorans head from its position on Syaoran's neck so that it can then be shoved up Syaoran's only other available orifice. 

"So, he ate your chocolate…and you use the Gender card on him…"

"What's wrong with that? It's not just the chocolate; it's the _principle _of the thing. The stupid stuffed animal has no right to just go into _my_ fridge and eat everything in sight!" Syaoran crossed his arms and looked defensive. "He had it coming."

This conversation was going nowhere. "Look, I'm going to change him back okay…we're supposed to only be doing something to Tomoyo and Eriol…"

Syaoran watched me for a second, realized I wasn't about to give in, scowled and pouted slightly then mumbled. "Whatever, they're your cards…"

I blinked. I couldn't believe it…Syaoran was _sulking_. It was like I had just snapped his favourite sword or something. I sighed. "Look, we've got a whole day to do nasty things to our friends, leave Kero alone okay?"

I took his silence for a 'yes' and went to let Kero out of the shield I had confined 'him' to. "I'm going to change you back Kero, so no maiming Syaoran."

Kero huffed and hovered in the air. "Fine…but I can't guarantee that I mightn't _accidentally _drop him bound and gagged off a cliff."

"_Kero_"

"Fine fine, I'll throw him of a cliff _not _bound and gagged…give the brat a fighting chance, happy?"

I smirked. "That's better" Ignoring the look Syaoran gave me, I summoned the card to me and got it to change Kero back. Now that that little fiasco was sorted, we could get back to business. I sent Kero home, (as to avoid any other spats between the guardian beast and the little wolf) and turned my attention to the pants that Syaoran had chosen to go with the 'oh so attractive' top. I have yet to mention what the top in question actually looks like. But I suppose now is a good as any to divulge. 

You've seen those articles of clothing at airports and various other tourist attractions that have the catch phrase "I love _(insert country/state/attraction)_" right? Well apparently someone thought they'd be different. The 'baby puke green' coloured top; a men's tank top to be specific had the words, "Too hot for Hong Kong" emblazoned on the front in big black letters. Something like that just screams 'fashion statement' now doesn't it? 

…_ahem_…

Anyway, getting back to the pants to uhh-_compliment_-the top… 

My eyebrow rose on its own accord. "Umm…why do _you_ have candy-striped flares?"

Syaorans cheeks turned an interesting shade of pink, his voice sounding slightly strangled "It was Meilin's idea, it was for a Halloween costume last year…she wanted me to go as someone from the 70's."

"Oh, so when you said you were sick and couldn't come that year, it was really because you didn't want to look like an idiot…"

Syaoran's expression was completely innocent "No, I was really sick…it was just a lucky coincidence."

"Uhh…" I shook my head and laid the pink and frilly outfit I had chosen for Eriol to wear (a costume I had to wear for one of Tomoyo's video's) out on the bed next to Tomoyo's fashion faux pas. "So, next is names…what should we refer to them from now on?"

Syaoran grinned and winked at me. "I've already thought of that…how does 'Tom' for Tomoyo, and 'Eli' for Eriol sound to you?"

I blushed slightly at the wink. * _What's gotten into him? He's starting to act like Eriol…hmm maybe he's just getting into the spirit of things…not that I'm complaining…_* 

I pushed back the blush and smirked. "Eli and Tom…perfect…" I giggled and bundled the clothes into my arms and bounced out the room. Tomoyo and Eriol glanced up and watched me warily as I leaped in and deposited the garments on their laps. Tomoyo's blotchy red tear stained face went white as 'she' picked up the shirt. 'Her' mouth opened and closed for a few seconds, seemingly unable to put words to 'her' current thoughts. I smiled cheerfully as Eriol; ignoring the pink bundle in front of 'him', rose an eyebrow and gazed at Syaoran thoughtfully as he strolled out of his bedroom. "Candy-striped flares descendent?"

Syaoran blushed and yelled out. "_THEY WERE FOR HALLOWEEN OKAY!_" Eriol dropped the pants back on Tomoyo's lap and adjusted 'his' glasses. "Whatever you say descendent, whatever you say…" 

I placed a hand on Syaoran's arm to calm him down; I actually wanted Eriol to be conscious for the rest of the day. I felt him tense up and relax. Smiling I turned to Eriol and Tomoyo. "Well go on, get changed…"

Tomoyo and Eriol glanced at each other; it almost looked as though they were having a silent conversation with each other, then got up and left the room.

I gave Syaoran's arm a squeeze; I still had my hand on his arm, and said with a grin, "Well, let the fun begin"

Syaoran had a strange look on his face for a second, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and he smiled. "Yes…let the fun begin…" 

~~~~~~~~~

Hmm, I think I'll leave it at that…I _was_ going to make it one chapter (i.e. the whole story one chapter) but I think I'll put this out and leave it at that for a while…::has evil 'I have plans' look on face…ehehehehe…All I'll say is the next chapter involves more revenge, using the lock card, a photo and a few illusions…and I'm thinking of squeezing in a bit of romance for everyone's favourite couple too ^-^

Ohh, in case anyone was wondering, I heard somewhere that the pink in the cat costume being referred to as 'cyber rose' was a Madison dubber thing…so I thought I might throw that little pun in…but then again it might have been in the original too, in which case the pun doesn't make sense…well that's my excuse anyway. Ummm I think that's about it…so ciao till next time when the insanity shall continue!!

StarDragon ^-^ 


	2. Love letters and illusions

****

Revenge, A Dish Best Served Bent

Chapter 2: Love letters and illusions 

::Drags self up to keyboard:: uughh…I've had a loooonnnggg couple of days…but I'm back now…and with a new (really strange -_-;) chapter for your err enjoyment…am I being optimistic? Read, review and tell me…Ooh!! Many thanks to:

****

Digi-riven, kawaiipup, Kiki, Lian Leviathan, UnicornHime, masterofwords, AA-chan, Wings of Fire, richelle, PrincessLesse, Azi. 

for the reviews! You all rock you legendary people you!! ^-^ Anyway, thanks muchly for the wonderful reviews…heres the next chapter so you can review that too!! ^-^ 

~~~~~~~

Sakura's POV:

"camera"

"Check"

"Sakura cards and key"

"Check, check"

"Love letter"

"Che-**_what_**?!"

I bit my lip, trying to ignore the rather funny shocked face Syaoran had twisted his features into. "Oh right, I was supposed to leave that in your apartment…here, can you hold this for a second?" I didn't wait for an answer, instead dumped the remaining objects into his hands (his face was still frozen; jaw almost hitting the ground, eyes widened…you know, completely shocked…) and grabbed the letter. I scratched my chin and looked thoughtfully at the piece of paper. *…_hmmm looks too new…need to make it look worn_…*

I scrunched it up, then opened it up and folded it a few times giving it a worn appearance, as though it had been in someone's pocket for a long time, and had been folded and unfolded a lot. Smiling with satisfaction, I used a bit of my magic and sent it back up into Syaoran's apartment. "There!" Syaoran's face hadn't changed one little bit.

I shook my head and tapped him lightly on the side of the face. "Hello? Anyone in there?"

He blinked, his mouth finally shut and looked at me with a slightly hurt confused look on his face. "Wh-wh-what love letter?"

I smirked slightly. He's so cute when he's jealous. "It's a fake. I copied your handwriting, made up something really sweet and mushy. I just sent it up to your lounge room…they'll find it and think it fallen out of your pocket and get really mad because they'll think they're missing out on something juicy." I paused, smirked and patted the camera. "And Tomoyo can't tape anything either." 

He blinked a few times. "Wait, why did it have to be from _me_"

I just shrugged and continued to walk down the footpath. "I dunno, seemed like a good idea at the time."

I ran to catch up to me. "Just what exactly did you write in this anyway? It better not have been…_too mushy_"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on Syaoran, where's your sense of romance? I just wrote something I thought you'd say…you know…" I paused and put on a caveman like male voice. "me big man, me hit bad people with metal stick, me like you…" I trailed off and burst out laughing at the grumpy looking frown on his face. "Oh come on! I was joking!"

"What did you write?"

I sighed. *_Someone's being defensive_…*

"Well, if your wounded pride needs to know _that_ much…here, I've got a copy…"

~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Eriol…err…_Eli's_ POV:

I scowled slightly at the image in the mirror. The long dark blue haired female scowled back. "This won't do…this won't do at all…" I gathered some of my magic as Tomoyo…sigh…_Tom _walked in sniffling slightly, tugging at the bottom of his puke-green top. He blinked as I examined myself in the mirror. My long waist length hair was now short and neat, in an unusual style that complimented my now delicate features. I smiled and pushed my glasses back up my nose. "Aww, much better." 

Tom's soft voice broke the silence as I tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ears. "Um, what are you doing?"

"Well, if we're going to be stuck like this for a while, we might as well make ourselves look presentable…now about these clothes…" I concentrated and reached out a hand glowing with magic. 

****

ZZZZZAAAAPPPP! 

"OOWWW!!"

I waved my smoldering hand around as Tom looked at me with an eyebrow raised and replied in a dry tone. "Wow, we're looking better already…"

"_Syaoran_…must have put a spell on them so we couldn't use magic to change them…oww…he knows me too well"

Tom crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, if he's going to be like that then I'm going to borrow some other clothes…" He plucked at his shirt in obvious distaste and strolled out. There was a startled gasp, "ERIOL!…I MEAN ELI…COME LOOK WHAT I FOUND!"

Frowning I walked out and stopped in the lounge room. Tom was holding a scrunched up piece of paper like it was his most prized possession. "Do you know what this is?!" He shoved the paper in my hands. It was smudged and looked like it had been in someone's pocket for a long time. The writing was easily recognizable as Syaoran's, and many of the words had been crossed out as if he couldn't easily decide on what to write. It reads follows:

{AN: Hiya!! Usually I don't do authors notes, but for this thing I had to. In the letter any words or phrases that are underlined and italicized means that they are supposed to be crossed out (strike through doesn't work on this format) okay!! That's all!!} 

'_Sakura Ying Fa_ My dear cherry blossom, 

Firstly, I know I'm a _sissy_ _wimp_ coward because I can't say this to your face, but it's the only way I can get the words out without stuttering like an idiot and blushing like _someone's flashed me_, _I'm severely sun-burnt_ I'm really embarrassed. But that's the effect you have on me. You don't embarrass me, I embarrass myself, because I can't look at you without feeling like every fibre of my being is being blessed simply by being in your presence. _You make me feel like my whole body is on fire, burning with passion, with love_. 'You may only be one person to the world, but you may be the world to one person.' I read that a long time ago and I honestly didn't think it could be true. Until I met you. You are my world Sakura, my one and only and I love you with all my heart. My only wish is that you are forever happy, whether that is with me by your side, or whatever lucky soul you deem worthy of your attention. I am truly blessed to be with you, 

Forever yours in _soul and body_ mind, body and spirit

Syaoran Li'

Tom's mouth opened and closed for a second, then his eyes widened, familiar stars appearing and he squealed. "THAT'S SO KAWAII!! HOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" It sounded a little strange considering the voice was so low for such a familiar phrase. "Ooh, I _knew _he had it in him…ooh, if only he would actually give it to her…"

~~~~~~~

****

Sakura's POV:

Syaoran's cheeks were a little red, but his eyebrow was raised as he replied in a dry tone. "Aren't we being modest..."

I grinned and pocketed the copy of the note I had shown him. "Like I said, I was just writing what I thought you would."

"And you seriously think they'll buy it?"

His next sentence was cut short by a squeal of 'THAT'S SO KAWAII!! HOHOHOHOHOHO!!!'

I smiled and replied loftily, "Hook, line and sinker." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "And what makes you think I'd write something like that anyway." I noted, trying to hide a smile, that he was again sounding awfully defensive. "Well, what would you write then huh?" * _heh, he walked himself right into that one_…*

"Uhh..well…_not that_"

I glanced in his direction and noticed the 'I want to drop the subject but I'm too scared/polite to ask' face. So, for his sake, I changed it. "Well anyway, we need to get to Tomoyo's place quickly to drop off another note, they'll be there soon…"

At his questioning eyebrow I continued. "I put a spell on they're clothes so that they can't change them with magic. Tom will probably just borrow something of yours, but Eli will have to go to Tom's place to get something there. So we need to leave this note" I waved the envelope in front of him, "so they know what to do next."

"What exactly do you mean by 'what to do next."

I grinned and answered in a question that was more a statement. "Aren't treasure hunts fun…"

~~~~~~~~~

****

Eli's POV:

People were giving me weird looks. It was rather unsettling. But I suppose I would too if I saw a girl dressed in a puffy pink taffeta dress that was designed to resemble some sort of flower. I also had a whole new respect for Sakura, well…more than I _already _did. She put up with this for years, with hardly a complaint, just to keep her friend happy. 

Trying to ignore the looks and whispered comments around me, I turned to Tom. He had borrowed some clothes from Syaoran's closet (green cargo pants and a loose black button up shirt) and had 'accidentally' managed to flush the other ensemble down the toilet. (He had said that the outfit was 'evil and we needed to rid the planet of its' blasphemy'). 

"So, how are we going to get into your house if they won't recognize us?"

Tom paused, his frown creasing in slight worry. "I never thought of that…darn this just makes things harder…oh hang on…" He paused and shuffled through the purse I had to carry. I second later, he pulled out his cell phone. "Perfect…"

"They won't recognize your voice…"

"Well, logically, I should be able to imitate my own voice…look it's worth a try…unless you want to stay dressed like that all day. Although, it does look awfully kawaii on you…"

"Ah no…let's try shall we…"

I tell you, his voice just sounded weird, but the person on the other end seemed to buy it. ('…Tomoyo? What's wrong with your voice? Do you have a cold?' ) So it was organised. 'Tomoyo's friends 'Tom' and 'Eli' where dropping by to pick up some clothes for a play, and Tomoyo couldn't do it herself because she was stuck organizing rehearsals'. Well, something along those lines anyway.

When we arrived at the mansion, the maid gave each of us a slightly suspicious look. "I take it you are Tom and Eli?"

Her gaze hovered over the dress I was wearing. 

"I uhh…lost a bet." Tom kicked me discreetly in the shin. *…_note to self: don't make fun off Tomoyo's/Tom's outfits_…* 

"Umm, Miss Tomoyo's room is upstairs to the right…her name is on the door. Just call if you need help with anything…"

Tom thanked the maid and pulled me through the door and up into her room. He disappeared into the closet and I took the time to browse around the bedroom. 

It was then that I noticed a letter on the bed.

It was pink and had little cherry blossoms printed on the border. It was addressed simply 'Tom and Eli'. Which meant they had dropped it in recently (i.e. it couldn't have been through the post). I stopped the maid that had answered the door as she passed the bedroom. "Umm excuse me, but did Syaoran and Sakura drop by recently?"

She shook her head. "No, I haven't seen them all day…are you supposed to meet them?"

"Oh no…it's nothing, I was just curious…"

The maid returned to whatever she was doing (after giving the dress I was still wearing another weary look) and I stepped back inside to read the note.

'Tom and Eli,

Welcome to Syaoran and Sakura's Treasure hunt 'o fun'. That's right kiddies, you're going on a treasure hunt! And what's this treasure I hear you ask? Why, it's the Gender Card! Find the card, and you can be back to yourselves. ^-^ ^-^ 

So anyway, you're first clue:

I am an Emperor, I am a fairy, I am many other things, but you know me as the king. Find me and the next clue will be yours. Bring proof that you've been there and happy hunting! ^-^ 

S and S'

You know that sinking feeling you get when you suddenly realize that you've pushed someone too far and now you're getting (or very soon about to get…) your comeuppance? 

Well I had that feeling a _long _time ago…

This was something else…this was absolute, unadulterated _fear_.

I'm just finding out now, that Syaoran is a very scary person when he's been pushed too far. Oh. I knew _he_ was behind all this. Sakura is too sweet a person to pull off something like this. That's what's happening here. He's convinced her somehow that all this is for the best…a bit of harmless fun. Yeah, that's what's happening here…

Tom appeared back out of the closet a few seconds later laden with various outfits, and dumped them on my lap. "What's that?"

"Letter from Syaoran and Sakura…it seems we have a bit of work to do before we get back to our…usual selves."

He frowned and read the letter as I shuffled through the neat bundle and pulled out something that took my fancy. Choosing a shortish light blue dress with long white stockings (which had this interesting leafy pattern sewn into the tops of them) I went to the closet to change as Tom frowned and started to mutter to himself about the clue.

"Emperor…fairy…king…emperor…fairy…_king_…hn…emperor emperor penguin? …and there's a fairy penguin… _king_…must mean King penguin?…King Penguin Park! Hey, I'm pretty _good_ at this… "

I chuckled at his excited squeal as I strolled back out completely changed. Tom looked up and grinned. "Wow, you look so kawaii in that!!" He instinctively reached for his bag to get his camera...

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!" A very Tomoyo-ish sounding scream ripped throughout the house and a worried looking maid burst through the door. "What's wrong! I heard a scream." 

I stepped in front of Tom (who was having convulsions) to hide him from the maid and tried to smile guiltily. "Uh…that was me…I uhh saw a uhh…spider! Yeah! That's right…a spider! …I'm-err-deathly afraid of them…darn this arachnophobia…"

She gave me a suspicious look, then bowed slightly. "Okay miss, is there anything you need?" She tried to look around me to see Tom. (He was starting to make interesting wheezing noises)

I moved around to block her vision, "Oh no..no, we're fine…uhh thank you for your concern."

The maid hesitated, but finally left. I sighed in relief and turned back to Tom.

"::twitch twitch:: I'm gonna kill him…::twitch:: he took my camera ::twitch:: _my camera_! That's thievery! ::twitch twitch:: _oooh he's going to pay_…" I frowned and plucked what was left of the note out of his wringing hands. "I thought you of all people would have more than one camera…"

He blinked…the twitching stopped. "Oh yeah…"

He grinned and went over to the entertainment section of the room, opened a cupboard and

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!" 

I unblocked my ears and leaned out the bedroom door. "Sorry! Saw another spider! Err might have been the same one…darn these things are following me…"

Like some modern parody of 'Old Mother Hubbard' the cupboard was completely bare…not one camera in sight. 

"That good-for-nothing-thieving-sack-of-_shit_." This was followed by a string of curses that I think would make Eminem blush.

I bit back a snort of laughter. Tom wasn't the sort of person that would loose his temper easily. In fact, from all the time I've known him, (even when he was a her), he's never sworn once.

Oh yeah, he was _angry_.

If Syaoran thought Sakura was scary when she was mad, he ain't seen _nothing_ yet.

Tom was making small snarling type noises, so I thought it best to calm him down before he started imagining that I was actually Syaoran and attempted to rip me limb from limb. The way he was clenching his hands was starting to get unnerving.

"_ Tom, _I believe, before you maim anyone, that we go to King Penguin Park and see what they've left us."

~~~~~~~~~

****

Syaoran's POV:

I watched a bit uneasily as Sakura tried to stuff the next-to-last camera into her already overflowing closet. It was quite mind boggling to find out how many camera's Tomoyo actually had, but what was even more disturbing was that Sakura had actually managed to cram them all in her closet. I tell you, it defied physics. 

"There…now, let's go!"

I followed Sakura in the same daze I had found myself in ever since we had left the note in Tomoyo's bedroom. She had this all planned. _Every last detail_. She seemed to know _exactly_ what her friends would do. And she had this evil little glint in her emerald eyes the whole time. Hello Sakura's 'dark side'. Right now, I could quite accurately say I'd seen Sakura in her best and her worst and I had long since come to the realisation that I was completely, madly, wholly, utterly (take your pick) in love with her. She could say 'jump off a cliff' and I would do so with a triple summersault to boot. She could say 'stand on that table and sing a Wiggles song' and I would not only sing, I'd dress up in a brightly coloured polo and do the dance steps too.

Oh yeah, I was completely hopeless, but at least I was happy. 

We arrived at King Penguin Park a few minutes later and she pulled me into the bushes after she deposited another note on the Penguin's crown. "Now let's see…how do I use this thing…" She chuckled gleefully to herself on finding the right buttons then gazed up into the leaves of the tree we were hiding behind. 

"Hmmm…"

"…Why do I get a sinking feeling now whenever you say 'hmm'…"

"Don't be silly, you spend most of your time in trees…nothing new to you." She tucked the camera securely into her backpack and jumped up to grab a tree limb. Swinging her legs out to get a bit of momentum, she flipped up and somehow managed to grab another branch before smacking into the tree trunk. She disappeared into the foliage. "Well? Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to get up here? They'll be here soon…"  
I shook my head and bounded up into the leaves, landing lightly on the branch next to her in one go. 

"Hm…show off…"

I gave her a strange look as she pulled out the camera and positioned it to capture anything that happened on the King Penguin Slide. "Umm, not that I want to question your obviously so thought out plan, but won't 'Eli' be able to sense us?"

She turned to me with a slight smirk on her face. "Of course I thought about that." With that she pulled out her key, recited the incantation and called out the shield card. I was about to comment that 'Eli' would be able to sense that too when she shot me a look that stopped any forming sounds from escaping my voice box. As she muttered something under her breath; I wasn't entirely sure if it had something to do with me or the shield card, a transparent white bubble appeared around her. Instantly the feeling of her aura, as well as that of shields' magic disappeared. She looked smug and asked. "Does that answer you question?"

I didn't answer her, instead shot her one of my _least _potent glares. She giggled, then extended the shield to cover me. 

Then we waited. 

And waited. 

There are only so many little cranes you can make out of tree leaves. So that left me alone in my thoughts. 

__

Not. A. Good. Thing.

Enter shoulder Devil and Angel.

Shoulder Devil: a tiny replica of me sporting red clothes (with compulsory horns and forked tail) and a black pitchfork. Shoulder Angel: tiny replica of me wearing something that looked too much like a dress for my liking, little white wings and a harp. Something I'd imagine Tomoyo would make me wear if I ever had the sudden overwhelming urge to dress up. In other words, if I ever lost my sanity. 

Anyway, Shoulder devil spoke up first in his quasi-evil, quasi-gruff voice that sounded like he'd (or I suppose, more accurately, _I'd)_ swallowed gravel. * :: sing-song voice:: _Syaoran and Sakura, sitting in a tree…c'mon, you know what happens next…_* 

*Don't you have something better to do?* 

* _I could, if you'd get off your pansy ass and kiss her already. I mean, it's really quite pathetic. You've been fawning all over her for _years_ but you're too much of a wimp to do anything about it._ * 

*…I do _not_ fawn…* 

*…you do actually…* 

I mentally scowled at my other mental apparition. * I thought _you _were supposed to disagree with everything _he_ says…* 

* Yeah, well usually he doesn't have such a good point…* 

I sighed out loud and ran a hand through my hair, getting Sakura's attention. She stopped humming to herself and looked at me curious. "What's wrong?"

"Uhh nothing…" * _just my total inability to make a move_… * If I could have smacked myself in the head without looking like an idiot, I would of. 

She gave me a funny look, then her head whipped to the side. "Ooh…I can sense Eli!! They're hhhheeeeerrrrreee!!" She giggled gleefully then settled down to watch the goings on through the camera screen with rapt attention. 

Eli, wearing a different outfit to the one Sakura had picked out, pointed to the King Penguin Slide, then climbed up as Tom stopped and watched. 

I leant over and whispered in her ear. "So what did you write in this one?"

"Oh, just another clue to send them to the other side of town…"

My eyebrows shot up in slight surprise. "You're sending them on a wild goose chase?"

She turned to me, a bright smile on her face and replied in a happy whisper. "Yep! Fun huh."

~~~~~~~~

****

Eriol's POV:

I sighed and sank into the chair shaded by a big blue and red umbrella. The clue at the penguin park ('I scream, you scream we all scream for Ice cream' as well as the 'bring proof that you've been there') was vague. There was more than one ice cream shop in town, (thank Kami for telephone books) but it had taken a little bit of deducting to figure out that it was actually 'Holler's Ice cream Parlor' on the other side of town. And we couldn't take a taxi. We 'conveniently' didn't have enough cash on us.

And I had the sneaking suspicion that we were being followed. 

Anyway it had taken us about an hour to walk to the shop, and my feet were starting to hurt. These shoes were quite uncomfortable. The sun had finally broken through the endless cover of grey and the day was starting to get awfully humid. Tom came back with the ice creams and another note and sat on the seat opposite. He dropped a business card onto the table (we had taken a flyer from the message board at King Penguin Park that was saying something about extending on the King Penguin Playground) and started to eat his ice cream thoughtfully as he glanced at the envelope. "Here, I figured out the last one, it's your turn."

I placed the little tub of ice cream onto the table and picked up the envelope. There was something strange about this one. It was thinner, lighter than the others... It didn't even feel like it had a note in it. 

And I couldn't help feel that there was something magical about it.

I slid my finger under the seal and flicked it open…only to slam it shut straight away as the open envelope started to sing (or more accurately, _bellow_) out 'Under the sea' song from The Little Mermaid. People within hearing distance (which doesn't say much, the envelopes' outburst was rather loud.) gave us strange looks. I was getting used to it. People had been giving us strange looks all day. 

I cleared my throat and looked pointedly at the envelope. "So, the envelope sings 'Under the sea'…"

We looked at each other and simultaneously came to the answer. "The aquarium."

"Which just happens to be back on the other side of town."

I sighed and picked up the spoon and ate another scoop of ice cream. "So what do you think is the point of collecting all these items?"

Tom shrugged. "I'm not sure, maybe they're a clue in themselves and they'll lead to the Gender card…But then again, how do we know that we've got the right items?"

"Mustn't be that then…must be something else…no matter…shall we go?" I stood and offered an elbow. Tom gave me a strange look. 

"What?"

"You have no idea how strange that looks when you look like a girl." None-the-less, he took my arm and we strolled off. I could have sworn I heard a giggle as we passed a large marble water feature, but didn't think anything of it. 

~~~~~~~~~

****

Sakura's POV: 

Syaoran covered my mouth with his hand to smother the giggles that threatened to erupt and pulled me back behind the fountain statue out of view. I had been taping the particular scene and hadn't noticed that I had started to come out from behind the statue. Our two friends disappeared around the corner and I let out an excited squeal. "Ooh this is so much fun!" I grabbed Syaoran's hand and pulled him along and into an alley where I called upon the jump card. The little wings appeared on both our feet and with a happy cackle I bounded up onto a shop roof. Syaoran was still on the ground looking up. "Come on you slow poke! We don't want to lose them!" He scowled and jumped. "Why do we have to follow them around, I thought the point of the whole thing was to make it as painful as possible for _them,_ why do we have to virtually do the same thing?"

"You're not having fun?"

He looked a bit uncomfortable as we leapt form rooftop to rooftop. "Well…maybe a little…"

I grinned. "A little?"

He blushed and tried to avoid eye contact, I jumped in front of him to face him grinning (so I was jumping backwards.) "Okay…maybe a _bit_ more than a little…" I laughed and spun around mid-jump…and almost jumped right off the edge of the last shop and onto the very two people we were supposed to be secretly following. And I _would _have if Syaoran hadn't have grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back. Tom and Eli stopped and looked up at my small startled squeak but Syaoran had managed to pull us away from the edge before they saw us. I sensed the couple walk on and I sighed with relief…almost choking on it halfway when I noticed Syaoran still had me in a sort of backwards hug.

"Um"

He looked down and noticed the predicament. His eyes widened and his arm darted back. "Uhh…" His face turned crimson. 

~~~~~~~~ 

**Syaoran's POV: **

"Uhh…" 

Any coherent thought on my part dissolved. And it really wasn't helping that my shoulder devil and angel were both starting to sing "Can't take my eyes off you". (* '_You're just too good to be true…can't take my eeeeeyyyyeeess off of you…you feel like heaven to touch…I want to hold you so much…_'* 

Thankfully, Tom and Eli's voices echoed up onto the roof before I could do something stupid…like start pounding my head on the nearby wall.   
"Are you _sure_ Sakura's not planning some of this…I mean that note was obviously made by her…I don't think Syaoran has _that_ sort of magic…"

"Does Sakura seem like the sort of person that would willingly do something like this? No, it's just not in her personality…"

I glanced at Sakura. Her nostrils where flared and a couple of veins were starting to appear on her forehead. 

"…Yeah, you're probably right, she's way too nice to do something like this…hmm I wonder what Syaoran has to bribe her to help him with this…"

They were too far away now to hear the rest of the conversation. I glanced back at Sakura to see if she wanted to follow again, but she didn't make any indication that she wanted to move. She was clutching the camera so tight that her knuckles were going white. And she was muttering something. 

I leaned closer to try and hear. 

"…too nice…I'll give them _too nice…_::evil cackle:: eh-hehehehe…" My body sub-consciously took a few steps away. "Uhhh…are you okay Sakura..?"

She continued to cackle for a second, then suddenly turned to me with a smile that looked more demonic than cheerful. She leaned forward and I leaned back as she all but purred. "Syaoran…"

"Uhh…yes Sakura?"

"I've got an idea…"

* uh boy…_what now?_* "Umm…and w-w-what…would that be?"

She leant forward and whispered the plan in my ear. It seemed logical enough. Send them somewhere with more people…make them do something they normally wouldn't do…and it wouldn't matter that no-one would recognise them because it would be more a form of 'personal torture' as she had put it. But it wasn't until the last thing that she mentioned that my eyes widened in shock and I almost choked on my own saliva. 

Then my vocal chords and tongue seemed to rebel with my comatose mind and said before I could stop myself, "Pretend? Just pretend?"

She wanted us to pretend to be a couple.

Her brow furrowed slightly. "…yeah…what did you mean…_just_ pretend…"

I had quite effectively backed myself into a corner. So I did the only thing I could.

I went forward.

"Umm…I..err…was just-umm-thinking that umm we don't necessarily have to-err-umm-_pretend_…"

* Jeez, you'd think this would get easier when you know a person…Isn't one of you supposed to be giving me some good advice right now? *

* _Why? It's so much more entertaining to listen to you make a complete twot of yourself…_*

"…I mean I'd prefer…that is if you wouldn't mind…umm-we could…not pretend…" I trailed off, dragged my gaze from my feet and looked up at her through the hair covering my eyes. 

~~~~~~~~_^~~~~~~~~~

****

Eli's/Eriol's POV:

We had been to the aquarium, got a free shark sticker and found the letter in the walk-through aquarium. But the clue there was different…it was rather blunt. 'Go to the 'Karaoke Café' and talk to the ladies at the desk'. This one didn't even have the usual 'bring back proof that you've been'. Luckily this one was fairly close; it was only about a 15-minute walk from the aquarium. The ladies at the desk were young and cheerful and smiled when we strolled through the door. Off-key singing blared through the speakers and I glanced at the darkish room. It was filled with people lounged on the many couches and cushy chairs occupying the floor space. A stage was against the wall furthest from the entrance and to the right was the counter where people could buy drinks and cakes etc. There were to ladies behind a desk just next to the door. The one on the left had a nametag that said 'Suzie' the one to her right was 'Fiona'. Fiona smiled and chirped "Hello! Welcome to the Karaoke Café! Do you have a booking?"

"umm no…we were told to come here…My name is Eli, and this is Tom…I think you're suppose to have a letter for us…" 

Realization dawned on her face and she smiled. "Ohh yes Tom and Eli! You're friends dropped off a letter for you…" She looked down at her something in front of her then handed Tom a ticket. "You're on in about 5 minutes…and you", looking at me, "are on right after. You're songs have been chosen for you so all you have to do is find a seat and wait."

I blinked, looked down at the ticket in my hand, then back to the cheerfully smiling secretaries. "Umm…wait…we don't want to sing, we just want to pick up the letter."

Suzie sounded sympathetic "ohh I'm sorry, but they gave us strict instructions." She turned to Fiona. "The girls' name was Sakura wasn't it?" At the nod, she continued, "Yeah, well Sakura said that we couldn't give you the letter until you both sang the songs" Fiona nodded. "Yes, and her young man seemed very adamant that their instructions were followed to the letter. He was all very polite about it…had a nice smile too "

Tom' eyes widened as I spluttered. "He was _smiling_?!" 

Suzie nodded then sighed and rested her chin on her perfectly manicured hands. "And he was such a gentleman too, he opened the door for her and everything…::sigh:: I wish _my_ boyfriend was that nice…"

"Boyfriend…do you mean they were a _couple_..?!"

Fiona nodded. "Oh yes, it was obvious, they were holding hands when they came in…"

"Uh huh, it was so sweet too. When they left, just after they went through the door she dropped something and when he picked it up and handed it to her he gave a her a kiss on the cheek."

Suzie sighed and said wistfully. "Ahh, young love…"

Tom was awfully quiet through all this. I turned to him, anticipating the high-pitched squeal of 'kawaii' and/or scream of outrage at missing the moment. But he was looking thoughtfully at something in the corner of the roof. 

"Umm, I know this might seem a strange request, but I don't suppose you lend out your security tapes do you?"

~~~~~~~~

****

Sakura's POV:

I smiled and snuggled further into Syaoran's grasp. After sneaking back into 'The Karaoke Café' through a staff entrance (so the secretaries wouldn't slip that we were in the vicinity) and positioning the camera in an inconspicuous spot (where it wouldn't be found but could capture everything that happened on the stage), we had snagged the only remaining seat (a big cushy couch at the back) and got comfortable. I sensed Tom and Eli arrive and mentally checked that the shield was still up and working before settling down to watch the stage. The last group finished their rendition of 'We are the Champions' and jumped off to the applause of everyone in the room. The chatter and laughter was interrupted by the DJ. "Okay next we have Tom who will be singing…'Baby got back'. Give him a round of applause ladies an gentlemen!"

Above the cheers and clapping a screeching male voice rang out. "**_WHAT_**?! I'M NOT GOING TO SING _THAT_" I smothered a giggle and watched as Tom, red in the face, was all but dragged up onto the stage by the grinning DJ. Eli was off on the side, rubbing her temples.

Tom stumbled onto the stage and looked at the microphone like it was something he'd never seen before in his life. 

The intro to the song started through the speakers…'Oh my God, Becky, look at her butt, it is so big…"

If it was really possible, his face just got whiter. 

Syaoran chuckled, "You're so evil…"

I grinned. "flatterer…"

He was right though, I was evil, but it was just _so much fun_. Tom and Eli _had_ to sing otherwise they'd never get the letter and never get the Gender card and therefore _never _get themselves back to normal. 

I bit my lip and covered my mouth as Tom stumbled over the first few lines of the song. "I uh like big butts and I cannot lie…" The look on his face was just a classic. He looked like he was going to be sick. One down…one to go.

Syaoran picked up his (big) mug of hot chocolate and tried to hide his face with it as he tried (and failed) to hold back his laughter. I elbowed him when his snort of laughter got Eli's attention. We were in a fairly dark part of the café and we were partially hidden by a big group of people so thankfully Eli turned didn't get too suspicious and merely glanced briefly in our direction before continuing to gaze around the room.

A few minutes later a very re in the face Tom left the stage to loud applause and cheers. The DJ smiled and took back the mike. "Okay, now up next is a lovely little lady who's going to sing… 'Strawberry Kisses!'" 

If you think Tom's face was white when his song was announced, then you should have seen Eli's. Her face was so white it was almost blinding. 

Oh yeah, I was _really_ evil…

Eli has a particular aversion to that song. Ever since Ruby moon heard it, thought it was 'awfully kawaii' and brought the single…then proceeded to play it full blast at all hours of the day. Although I had a feeling that she got sick of it herself and just continued to play it just to get on everyone's nerves. 

~~~~~~~~

****

Eli/Eriol's POV:

I watched behind weary eyes as the sun sank below the horizon. We were sitting on a bench back at King Penguin Park and we were both exhausted. After our 'debut' at the 'Karaoke Café', we had been sent everywhere from the school, to the library, to a video store and finally back to the King Penguin Park. We passed by Chiharu and the others at one point, they of course didn't recognise us, and we overheard part of their conversation. They had spotted Syaoran and Sakura out and about and apparently they had been walking arm in arm, and Rika was commenting on how she had never seen Syaoran so happy. Tom was on the verge of bursting into tears.

I plucked the note from underneath the bench seat.

'Congratulations! You have followed our instructions correctly and are in the last leg of your journey. Your reward is back at Syaoran's apartment, in the lounge room. Kero will be there to give you the key, but he won't give it to you unless you show him the proof that you've been to all the places as well as a chocolate bar. ^-^ ^-^ 

S & S' 

I sighed. "We've been all around town and it ends up being right were we started…why am I not surprised." 

Tom let out a long sigh and replied as he got to his feet. "Let's just go…I want to get this over and done with."

The moon was high in the sky by the time we got there. Kero was sitting by the door, looking slightly bored but slightly irritated. "Took your time, do you have any ideas how long I've been standing here?"

"Uh sorry Kero…but it's been a rough day…um I apologise if I'm being presumptuous but you seem awfully ticked about something…"

Kero glared at me as he floated off, munching on his candy bar after he gave us the key. He was muttering something about the 'stinking gaki' and 'not taking his dirty mitts off of Sakura' followed by 'just holding hands my ass'. 

The apartment was empty (of people) but we found the 'reward' quickly. There was a small green box sitting on the coffee table in the lounge room but no matter how hard we tried, it wouldn't open. Tom flopped back on the couch with a growl of frustration. "Argg!! Why won't it open!"

I was mid shrug when a slightly far away voice replied, "Because you haven't asked yet."

We both looked around the room. That was Sakura's voice. "Hey! I'm down here!"

We looked down at the box.

A tiny illusion of Sakura, only about a foot tall, was sitting on the box next to a tiny illusion Syaoran. They were both looking up at us with slightly smug expressions.

Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest and said "So, did you two have fun today?"

I sat down on a chair and rested my arms on the armrests. "Depends on your definition of 'fun'. Now, why won't the box open?"

Sakura smiled "Well that' because you haven't put in the password yet!" She turned and pointed to the pile of 'proof' and muttered something. The pile glowed and formed a keypad that had both numbers and letters on it. Like something from an electronic lock. It landed on my lap. "Find the right password and you'll get your reward!" With that they both disappeared. 

Tom looked at me and then down at the key pad. "Well…let's get started…" 

~~~~Minor Time Gap~~~

"BBAA-BBBAAAOOOOWWWRRR INVALID PASSWORD!"

I growled through my teeth. I was getting sick of that noise. Oh occasionally Syaoran's all too smug voice would say 'HA HA WRONG PASSWORD STUPID!" or "MAN ARE YOU WWWWWAAAAYYYY OFF, MAN I THINK A TWO YEAR OLD WOULD HAVE GOTTEN IT NOW!" I had given the keypad to Tom for a while, but the results were much the same, (although Sakura's comments were mainly a cheerful 'I'm sorry, that's incorrect, please try again).

I ran a hand through my hair and punched in the code 'Syaoran is a stupid moron'…a rather childish cheap shot but you have to understand, I was _beyond_ frustrated. Sakura's voice spoke out this time. "Now Eli…that's not very nice…"

I growled and threw the keypad across the room.

"Now now, you should know that violence doesn't solve anything"

I glared at it and set it on fire with a quick spell, in which Syaoran replied 'Nor does magic'. The keypad, slightly melted around the edges, floated over and landed on my lap again. We had tried birthdays, names of people, names of the cards, things in a different language, clever puns, anything clever or tricky I'd have thought they'd have used, but _nothing_ had worked. Then I thought of something. It was so simple and stupid that you'd think of it then thought, 'naa, they'd never use that one.' 

I blinked and punched in the words 'Open Sesame'. 

The box opened.

Tom's spluttered in a slightly strangled voice. "'Open Sesame?'…that was it? '_Open Sesame_'…" His eyes started to twitch again.

The keypad disappeared and I placed the box onto my lap and looked inside.

There was a note and two photographs.

'I said you'd get your reward, I never said that it'd be the Gender card…Why? Did you think you'd get off _that_ easily?'

"::twitch twitch:: it's not there…::twitch twitch::"

I didn't see the look on Tom's face…I was too busy staring at the photographs. It was a picture of my robes…tied to a chair…surrounded by logs…like same strange parody of witch being burnt at the stake. AS I watched, the logs caught fire and the robes, the hat and the staff erupted into a ball of fire. Then the image returned to the beginning and started again. It was on a loop. I watched my robes get burned about 3 times before I managed to get out a sound.

"::high pitched girly scream::AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

~~~~~~~~~ 

hehehe…I think I'll leave it at that for now…

D 

Don't worry, there's still about a chapter left in this story, so I've got lots more chances to be evil…Anyway just a few things I thought I'd add:

1) Are S + S an actual couple or are they just pretending? Well _I_ know but I'm not telling! _Ha_! 

2) No offense meant to anyone who likes Nikki Webster and her music, it's just that she makes me twitch so that's why I added it in for Eli's/Eriols Karaoke debut. Call me weird if you want to…(most people do ~_^) 

3) Why the 'Syaorans' shoulder devil and angel'? I dunno…I personally thought it was kinda cute. And besides I think that everyone has an 'evil' and 'good' side to their thoughts…so hence the inclusion. ^-^

Anywho, that's about it for now…please review and I'll get the next chapter up a.s.a.p.! 

Ciao!!

StarDragon ^-^ 


	3. HORMONAL! I'M NOT BEING HORMONAL!

****

Revenge, A Dish Best Served Bent

Chapter Three: _HORMONAL?! _I'M _NOT _BEING _HORMONAL_!!

I'M BACK!! YES, I'VE ACTUALLY GOT AROUND TO DOING THE NEXT CHAPTER!! REJOICE!!

It took me how many weeks to get this chapter out? I'm so sorry it took so long, but I've been _really _busy lately. But the other reason it took me so long to get the chapter out was…I HAD NO FREAKIN' CLUE HOW I WAS GOING TO END IT!!! I knew what I was going to do in the start of the chapter, more or less, but I couldn't think how I was going to end it. 

Not a clue at all.

Nothin, nadda, zilch.

Welcome to blankville, population, me. 

It was the chapter that refused to get written. 

But it's finally up, the last chapter and the end of the Gender Bender series. I must give credit to Alanya for the PMS idea… ^-^ I had plans to make Eriol really…grumpy anyway but the PMS idea just pulled it all together nicely. Plus it gave me a nice chunk of jokes to work off of. So thanks muchly to Alanya for the idea!

Thanks muchly muchly to bunni ^-^, my newly appointed proof-reader. Of whom took a chapter in much need of some adjusting and pointed out all the dodgy bits. THANKIES!!! ^-^ 

AND THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO (etc. etc.) MUCH TO::

****

Kokuei, **humor_writer2, bunni, blueangelbaby, SapphireStar, Alanya, Kiki, Wings of Fire, masterofwords, PrincessLesse, molten-amber, Sakura-chan,** **Aurora, lovely devil…(I think that's everyone…sorry if I've missed anyone ^-^)**

I really appreciate the support and the kind words. ^o^ ^.^ 

Anyway, I don't own nothing. Heck, does anyone ever actually read the disclaimers? Uh well, on with the insanity!!

~~~~~

__

It was a picture of my robes…tied to a chair…surrounded by logs…like same strange parody of a witch being burnt at the stake. As I watched, the logs caught fire and the robes, the hat and the staff erupted into a ball of fire. Then the image returned to the beginning and started again. It was on a loop. I watched my robes get burned about 3 times before I managed to get out a sound.

"::high pitched girly scream::AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

~~~~~~

****

Tom/Tomoyo's POV:

Eli burst into tears.

"MY-MY-MY _ROBES_!! ::wail:: _WWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAA_ ::sob, hiccup, sniffle:: _AAAAAAAAAAAA-_"

I tentatively tried to sooth the wailing girl. "Umm Eli…I can always make you more robes…" 

She turned to me, angry eyes puffy, tears streaming down her face. "That's _not _the point…they-they-they-_have sentimental value_" She made a small sound that was something between a squeak and a hiccup before bursting into tears again. "_HOW COULD THEY _::sob hiccup:: **_DO_** THAT TO ME :: sniff:: _I'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING **THAT **BAD TO DESERVE THIS-"_

"Well-uhh-actually…" I didn't even get a chance to go on. I wasn't even certain if she was actually listening to me; so caught up she was in her misery.

"It's all Syaoran's fault ::sniffle hiccup:: he's behind all this, _stupid male_…" Her lip started to tremble again as she stood and ripped up the picture. As the little pieces of photographic paper fell to the ground, she stomped off into Syaoran's room and slammed the door shut with a vindictive outburst of "_I HATE MEN_!" 

"Uhh…" I cringed as something went 'crash' in Syaoran's room. There was a thud, followed by muttered cursing. I knocked on the door. "Umm Eli? Are you feeling okay?"

Her answer sounded indistinct, as though she was speaking through another wall. "::sniff:: Of course I'm feeling okay…::sniff:: Why? What makes you think ::sniff:: I'm not okay?"

I wasn't really sure if there was a nice way of saying it. Well, actually there _wasn't _a nice way of saying it. Saying it usually meant that you got yelled at/slapped/given rather potent evil looks/all of the above by the other person whether it was put in a nice way or not. But some deep instinct that I hadn't felt before bubbled up and forced my vocal chords to react. For some strange reason, I felt it was my duty.

"Umm, it's just…it's just you seem…awfully hormonal…do you have PMS?" 

"**_HORMONAL?!_** **I'M _NOT _BEING _HORMONAL AND I DON'T HAVE PMS!!_**"

I waited until the ringing in my ears stopped then knocked gingerly on the door. "Umm Eli?"

The door swung open and struck the wall with a crack. Eli, looking particularly livid, was holding both the older and the newer version of Syaoran's robes. "Huh, now let's see how _he_ likes it…" Somewhat thunderstruck, I watched open-mouthed as Eli, grinning sadistically to herself, dumped the bundle of clothing into the fireplace. 

I could have sworn I heard a thump and some swearing above me.

Eli pulled out a box of matches, going for the traditional way of lighting a fire as opposed to using magic. "Buuuurrrnnnn….they're gonna buuurrrnnnn hahahahaha…" There wasn't even a _trace_ of humour in that laugh. "Bbbbuuuurrrrnnn baby, _buuuuurrrrrrnnn._" The match head flared, the small flame causing her already sadistic expression to look positively demonic.

There was a thump on the balcony. I glanced out the window and saw Syaoran stand up from a crouch, a murderous expression on his face. I sweatdropped and moved to the side as he stomped into the living room. Eli and Syaoran started to glare at each other. I saw Sakura land on the balcony herself and walk cautiously in. They must have been sitting on the roof the whole time.

Eli was standing defiantly in front of the fireplace, the match burning merrily in her outstretched hand. She was wielding the match with the same sort of confidence one would show when wielding a large flaming torch. 

Syaorans expression hadn't changed…it had just become more…_concentrated_. Really, you had to give credit to a person who could withstand one of Syaoran's looks at such close range. "_Give. Them. Back_."

"_No_"

"I said…_Give. Them. Back_…"

"And _I_ said…_No_" 

And who ever heard of Eriol, in either male or female form, actually _glaring_?

I turned to Sakura; she was watching the whole seen behind one of my cameras with a mildly amused smile on her face. She saw me looking at her and tore her attention away from the scene. "What's wrong?"

I paused, then gave her a bear hug. "I'm so proud of you…"

To put it mildly, Sakura looked shocked.

"Wait…you're…you're not mad?!"

My semi-smile deadpanned. "Of course I am, don't get me wrong. The only thing that's stopping me from dressing you two up in something that makes you look like a pregnant rice-bubble is the fact that you're getting all this down on video." 

The colour drained slightly from Sakura's cheeks. She, subconsciously or not, inched back a bit. 

Oh yeah, I can be _really_ creepy if I want to be…

I brightened up and jerked my head over to Eli and Syaoran. "So…whose idea was it to give Eli PMS?"

Eli turned from her glare war with Syaoran and yelled, red in the face, "**_I DON'T HAVE PMS_**!", before returning her scathing look back to Syaoran. 

Sakura, ignoring Eli, eyed me as if seeing if I was going to make any sudden movements towards a swatch of fabric and shrugged. "No ones actually. It was just a fortunate side effect to the gender change thing…I guess it was just her time of the month" She rubbed her chin. "It's an interesting concept though…" Maybe it was the slightly male part of me speaking up, but the calculating look on her face was rather unnerving. That look was clearly thinking 'PMS as a form of male punishment…I could _do_ that'

There was a yell. We both turned. Syaoran was frantically trying to pat out the flames on his sleeve. Eli, cackling insanely, struck another match and held it over the fireplace. Syaoran, slapping the last flame out, looked from his blackened sleeve up to Eli with a half-horrified, half-enraged expression on his face. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT YOU LITTLE-" He paused, momentarily unable to think of an appropriate insult, before going on, "_HERMAPHRODITE_!!"

Sakura shook her head as she rolled her eyes then muttered under her breath as she called upon her wand. "And here I was hoping we could look back on this moment and all have a good laugh…"

"Oh I think that's a definite possibility…"

She gave me a strange look before dowsing the male and…err she-male in several litres of water with the help of the Watery. The two blinked as, with another twirl of a wand and a flick of another card, the water and the matches disappeared. 

"Are you two quite finished?"

Syaoran glanced from Sakura, to Eli, then back to Sakura. Eli merely crossed her arms and gave us a defiant look. 

Sakura smiled cheerfully and moved to usher us over to the couch. "If everyone will sit down, I think we have some…issues to discuss…" We all glanced at each other, then at Sakura, then at the couch. No one moved so Sakura, letting out a mildly frustrated sigh, grabbed Syaoran on the arm and dragged him to the couch. I frowned as I watched him pass. "Syaoran…are you wearing lip gloss?"

He blanched. "Uhh-uhh-uhh-uhh…"

"Hmm it looks like it's coming off though…you should borrow some off Sakura, she always carries some arou-" My mouth froze on the forming 'o' sound as my mind caught up with the nagging little voice in my subconscious. I blinked. Sakura and Syaoran went red in the face then, when there just weren't any more shades left in that colour, went an interesting shade of blue. 

My eyes widened.

"_Oh…my….god_…" 

Sure I was pissed with them, but that didn't mean I couldn't be shocked by this little development.

Sakura pushed Syaoran on the couch then frog-marched me over to the spare seat next to Eli. She sat down after giving me a long slightly reproachful look as if to say, 'I know what you're thinking and I know what you want to say but if you say it nasty things _will _happen.' I cleared my throat and tried to avoid direct eye contact, lest I went blind from the intensity of _both_ the looks I was receiving from our favourite couple.

Sure, I had spent enough time with a certifiably-insane-master-of-chaos-bent-on-world-domination-otherwise-known-as-Eriol to pick up a thing or too, but I preferred to leave the schemes of ultimate doom and revenge to him. It wasn't really my forte. I preferred to stand on the sidelines, provide the wardrobe, tape all the good bits and creep everyone out occasionally with a well timed chuckle. Exacting revenge wasn't really essential at the moment. Speaking of revenge, Sakura seemed to have a knack for it. I had my suspicions from the start; even though Syaoran actually started this whole revenge thing, but there were just too many signs pointing to Sakura being the mastermind behind the whole thing. It's quite surprising really. Deep beneath all that sweetness and light whirs the mind of quite a twisted individual. Must be because of her brother. Her mind has probably been ticking over ways to get back at him for years, and unfortunately, she's just letting it all out on us.

~~~~~~~~~~

****

Sakura's POV:

I looked around the room. Eli was sitting on one of the armchairs with a very uncharacteristic scowl on her face. Tom's eyes didn't seem to know where they wanted to focus on and were constantly flicking from various points around the room. Though they _did_ seem to go back to Syaoran every now and every time that happened, her lip would twitch as if she was trying not to laugh. And Syaoran…well Syaoran was sitting next to me on the couch looking mildly embarrassed. And he _did _have a fairly obvious layer of lip-gloss on his lips. It was a mystery to me though, why he hadn't actually thought to wipe it off and spare us any further embarrassment. I fought down a blush as I recalled just exactly _how_ he came to be wearing lip-gloss. And don't look at me like that. 

It's _just _human nature after all… When two people realise that they indeed harbor a mutual affection, it is only inevitable that they would…express this aforementioned likeness to their significant other…

…

Okay, Okay, so that's just a fancy way of saying that we were making out on the rooftop of Syaoran's apartment. So sue me, he _is_ (as of today) my boyfriend for crying out loud. 

I sighed and mentally pushed that particular train of thought off its tracks and jumped on the next. Ahh…Eriol and Tomoyo…or should I say Eli and Tom. It was the end of a particularly long day and the part of me that was still harboring a few feelings of annoyance at my two friends was not wanting to give up without some sort of retribution. However, the more normal side of me was sticking her cheerful head amongst my mental confusion and was beginning to swing me towards a 'forgive and forget' attitude. 

But what was the point of all this if not to present our friends with a nice moral for them to mull over for while, which, if all goes well, will become a sacred law amongst our families that shall never be broken on pain of strange and unpleasant punishment?

I rubbed my hands together and glanced at Eli and Tom. Eli was _still_ glaring at Syaoran, but I suppose that would be due somewhat to the hormones. Those evil little suckers can make even the most cheerful person somewhat trying to be around if pushed too far. (And by pushed too far, I refer to any members of the male species muttering things like 'Oh she must have PMS, which would explain her irritation towards me.' Of course, none of them ever realise that _they _are usually the cause of said irritation. PMS is merely fuel to a fire.) Anyway, getting back to the problem at hand. As mentioned previous, Eli was in a bit of a sour mood. Tom didn't seem to be able to make up his mind on just _what_ he wanted to feel. 

"Tom…Eli…"

Two pairs of eyes looked up. I fixed them with a steady gaze as my mouth started to arch in a smile.

**__**

15 minutes, 3 pieces of paper, 2 arguments and 4 chocolate chip cookies later… 

"I, Eriol, currently assuming the identity of 'Eli', hereby swear by this sword with the interesting frilly dangly bits on the end-"

"They are _not_ frilly dangly bits"

"-that I will never ever pull a stunt again as mentioned in detail in the contract. By agreeing to this arrangement I, and any future offspring or reincarnations, are to be bound to this agreement on infliction of cruel and unusual punishment dealt by either the Almighty Cardmistress Sakura Kinomoto, or his supreme highness, Master Syaoran Li, or any of their offspring or reincarnations. Never shall I repeat something of such a degree of immaturity again. "

"Close enough, but you forgot 'gorgeous' and 'angelic' between 'Almighty' and 'Cardmistress', but I'll let it slide. Now sign here, here and here…"

__

A sound of a pen scratching on paper…

"Excellent, nice doing business with you." I smiled, rolled up the scroll with a flourish then tossed it in the air and flicked my fingers. It disappeared in a flash of pinky colored light. Syaoran was still grumbling to himself about the remark of his sword having 'frilly dangly bits' but refrained from comment. Tom and Eli looked at me expectant.

I looked innocent. "As soon as you give me those tapes as specified in the contract I'll change you back." Tom gave Eli a long pained look, but she merely crossed her arms and gave her an even longer stubborn stare. Tom sighed and pulled out a tape from his bag. 

I smiled. "And the other one…"

Tom tried to look confused. "…What other one?" 

"The security tape from the Karaoke café…I know you have it…"

Tom's mouth opened and closed a for a few seconds, doing a fairly accurate imitation of a fish, then let out an exasperated sigh…and begrudgingly handed over the other tape. I grinned and placed it safely into my bag along with the other tape, the one of the 'Gender Dance'…I think I'll burn that one.

I flicked out the Gender card and they both caught it mid air. They glanced at each other, then passed out. Syaoran and I, both being unconscious at the time, never actually got to see what happened when changing back. It was actually quite interesting to watch. They had let go of the card when they passed out, but it floated in the air instead of dropping. The card glowed bright white then split in two, heading for Eli and Tom's foreheads. There was a flash and the symbol for male appeared on Eli's forehead as the symbol for female appeared on Tom's. Girlish giggling and a more male sounding chuckle filled the otherwise silent room and the female blue haired spirit sort of…'stepped out' of Eli's body. As the spirit pulled away from Eli, her features shimmered and changed. The hair re-shaped itself and became its former short style, and I swore I heard something that sounded very much like fabric ripping. I glanced at Syaoran. He was trying to hide a laugh. I guess he figured it out too that when you wear things too small for you, rips and atomic wedgies are inevitable. And for guy, that must be _really_ uncomfortable. 

Isn't revenge sweet?

But, because I _am_ a nice person, I changed the clothes for them magically. After all, they had for us before…although…come to think of it, they _had_ then put us into Syaoran's bed together in some sick-minded attempt to do…well actually...I still haven't figured out just _what _they wanted to achieve with that. There are just so many possibilities. Anyway, after the pink-haired male spirit 'stepped out' of Tom and turned 'Tom' back into 'Tomoyo', the female and male spirit smiled, waved at us then returned to the card. It smiled as it floated into my hand and turned to grin at Syaoran. "So, what do you want to do now?"

He glanced down at Tomoyo and Eriol, then looked up at me. "Why don't we give them a taste of there own medicine and put them in the same bed."

I scratched my chin and smirked. "Yeah…we could…but that wouldn't be very…original would it…" I rubbed my hands together and stood up. "I think we need to be a little more…_creative_…"

He watched me as I headed to the balcony.

"Umm…Sakura?…you're scaring me…"

"_eh-hehehehehe…"_

~~~~~~ 

*THUNK*

Syaoran's head shot up as I dumped the case I had been carrying onto the balcony. He came out and gave the silver and black box a curious look as I returned the fly card and shrunk the wand. "Umm…what is that?"

I smiled sweetly. "Revenge."

He gave the case another funny look. "You're going to hit them over the head with a camera box?"

I fought down the urge to roll my eyes. "It's not a camera case silly, it's a make-up case." 

Syaoran just looked confused. 

"It's for Eriol…"

He looked down at the case again, then back at me without even a _hint_ of understanding. 

I sighed. "…Look, the way I see it, Eriol got off pretty easily. I mean, we got the tapes off of Tomoyo, but Eriol didn't really have much of a punishment."

"Wasn't this whole day punishment enough for them?"

"Yeah…just call this the icing on the cake."

"Ahhhh...Gotcha"

"Anyway, I think it would be fun to give Eriol a little make-over while he sleeps off the effects of the Gender Card."

"…Sakura…"

"Yeah?"

"…Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

~~~~~~

"…What's this…?"

"It's mascara…"

"Oh…and what about _this_"

"That's lip liner."

"Oh…I thought _that_ was the lip liner"

"No, _that_ is eyeliner. There's a difference"

"…there is?" 

I glanced back at Syaoran. He was sitting in front of my open make-up case, a stick of lip liner in one hand, a stick of eyeliner in the other and a look of complete loss on his face. I kinda wish I had a camera with me, he just looked so adorable. I smirked as I turned back to my work. "You're trying to tell me that you don't know a thing about make-up yet you have four older sisters…" 

"So? What has that got to do with anything? I try to avoid my sisters wherever possible. The last thing I want to do was to go into their rooms and watch them get ready for one of their dates." He then made a sound that was something like a 'bleck'.

I giggled. "What? There aren't even any kawaii photos of you a 3 year old with lipstick painted all over your face?"

"…"

I could almost_ feel _the embarrassment radiating off him. Heck, the _silence _sounded embarrassed. I turned to him, grinning slightly. "No _way_…"

He ran a hand through his hair as his cheeks turned pink. He tried to look at something else. I never knew couch cushions could be so interesting. 

I turned around so that I could put my full attention on him. "Well come on, spill…don't make me call up your sisters and send me a detailed letters with evidence, because you know I will and who knows what other juicy things they'd spill…"

He grimaced and grunted. "I was 4, my sisters were bored and they attacked me. Long story short I looked like Raggedy Andy for about an hour until I managed to escape them and scrub it off." He gave my utterly shocked expression a rueful look before continuing in a dry tone that could melt an iceberg. "That is only one of the reasons why I avoid my sisters wherever possible. And if you ever tell anyone that, the next time Tomoyo gets shutter happy I won't even _try_ to stop her." 

"Ooh, that's harsh…"

"What are you doing?"

We both whirled at the voice, Syaoran dropping the eyeliner and the lip liner in the process. Tomoyo, who we had just put on the couch to sleep off the Gender Cards effects, had woken up. She leaned forward to see what I was doing. 

Syaoran must have lost his nerves and he stared to stutter "Uh…w-w-we can explain" Probably worried that she might have overheard our conversation.

She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "I should certainly think so."

I felt myself cower as she stood up to her full regal height and looked down at me with a slightly scolding impression. 

__

Uh boy…I'm in for it now… 

"I'd like to think that I taught you enough about make-up to know that that eye shadow does _not_ go with that lip colour."

We both blinked. "…what?"

She huffed and knelt next to me, picking up a stick of lipstick and a container of eye shadow off the ground, which I had been planning to use on Eriol. "Here…_this_ is a night colour, and _this _is a day colour, they don't co-ordinate."

"Yeah I know, that was the point."

She tutted and shook her head. "No no no! If you purposely make it look bad people will think it's a prank, but if you make it look like he's actually made an effort…" She trailed off and raised an eyebrow.

…_Or maybe not…_

A slow grin spread over my face. "…Ahhhh…I get you…" My brows crinkled in a frown. "Hang on, why are you helping us? I thought you of all people would be sticking up for him." 

"Normally I would, but he didn't stick up for me when you wanted those tapes so I think he deserves a bit of torture." Then she smiled that innocent little Tomoyo grin. I never thought it possible for a sweet smile like that to radiate an aura of malevolence. 

Tomoyo can be really creepy when she wants to be. 

I'm just glad she didn't laugh. 

~~~Several minutes later~~~

Tomoyo glanced down at Eriol's sleeping face as she expertly brushed on some eye shadow. "How come he hasn't woken up yet. I'd have thought with his magic he would be awake ages ago." 

"He normally would have, but we didn't want him to wake up while we were putting the make-up on, so I used the sleep card."

"I thought that only worked on people without magic."

I shrugged and brushed a bit of excess blush off Eriol's cheek with my thumb. "They're my cards, I just had to ask nicely…there…how's that?"

Tomoyo turned her critical eye for detail over my handy-work. "Nice…ohh…put a bit more here, emphasize that cheek bone a bit more. I have to admit, for a guy, he has really nice cheek bones…"

Syaoran, finally getting a grip on the wonderful world of facial products, was sorting through the case for all the lip products. He frowned as he read the labels. "Did you want… 'Midnight', 'Sassy' or…" He paused and leaned closer to get a better look, 'Chocolate Obsession'." He blinked and glanced at me. "Chocolate obsession?"

"That's a lip balm. Smell it, it's really nice. Oh and give us that other lip stick…the one called 'Sassy'."

He chucked me the stick, then cautiously sniffed the lip balm…then sniffed it again. 

"Like it?"

Syaoran sniffed it again and mumbled under his breath… "Hell, you should wear this one more often…" probably intending it to be for his ears only… 

Tomoyo smothered a giggle as she started the eye shadow on the other eye. I merely raised an eyebrow and tried to keep a straight face.

He blinked and blushed. "I just said that out loud didn't I..?" 

Tomoyo and I glanced at each other, and dissolved into a fit of giggles. 

****

~~~Several more minutes later~~~

We stood back to survey our handy work.

"…He almost looks pretty in way now doesn't he…" She grinned and brushed her hands together. "Job well done"

"Of course…and you got to learn a thing or two, right Syaoran?"

"…Yeah, I suppose I did…" He paused and tilted his head to the side. "That mole was a nice touch…"

I grinned and eyed the aforementioned mole, which had been added using a bit of eyeliner just above Eriol's lip. "So, do you think it's time to wake him up?"

Tomoyo nodded and turned to both of us. "I think it's time. But remember, don't mention _anything_…I'll take the make-up case back to Sakura's and you two just go in the kitchen and make dinner or something coupleish like that so when he wakes up he hopefully won't suspect anything. Is everyone clear?"

I smiled and nodded. Syaoran saluted smartly and replied. "Crystal Ma'am"

"Should we call Nakuru to come and pick him up? I want to see her reaction when she sees him"

Tomoyo shook her head. "No…Eriol said that she went out shopping with Suppi today so she probably won't be home. Pity though, that would make a really good tape." She shrugged and picked up the case before heading to the door. "Here's hoping she bumps into him on the way home…"

~~~~~~~~~~

****

Eriol's POV:

__

BANG *CRASH!*

"Hoe!"

__

Okay…this isn't my house…

"I'm so sorry Syaoran! Oh…I'm such a clutz…"

I heard Syaoran chuckle, which needless to say, was the first thing that struck me as unusual. I opened my eyes and came face to face with…

…fuzzy couch material. 

"It's okay Sakura…really"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, _You're _the one who's going to have to clean it up after all."

__

Are they…are they **flirting **with each other??!

I vaguely remembered something about them, lip gloss and Tomoyo being happy then slightly miffed, but all I could really remember was being really irritated with Syaoran. They _must_ be a couple though…by the sounds of things.

"_Hoe_…"

Syaoran chuckled again as Sakura grumbled unhappily. "Oohh…now you're making my feel guilty. ::long suffering sigh:: guess I'll just have to help you now…"

__

Okay…that **sounds** like Syaorans voice…but he sounds so…happy…and…non…Syaoran-ish…Hn…I always knew Sakura would be good for him

My general curiosity got the better of me, so I pushed up off the couch and stretched. I located my glasses on the coffee table after a few seconds of searching and slipped them on as I walked to the kitchen, hiding in the shadows just beyond the doorway. Syaoran was sweeping uncooked pasta into a pile as Sakura scooped it into a dustpan. She grinned and threw a piece at Syaoran. It hit him on the nose.

"Hey!"

She looked up, an innocent expression on her face. "Yes Syaoran?"

He rubbed his nose. "Oh, I was just wondering if you just got hit by a piece of gravity defying ravioli too"

"No, but thanks for the warning." She grinned and flicked another piece at him, hitting him on the chest. "Oh gee, there goes another one…got to watch out for that gravity defying ravioli."

He looked down at the piece of pasta lying innocently at his feet, then placed the broom against the kitchen bench. Sakura watched him cautiously then squealed and started to giggle uncontrollably as he leapt forward and started tickling her.

"_HAHAHA-STOP! HIHIHIHI_!!"

"A-_hem_"

They both froze and blushed then straightened up. "::cough:: Um, hey Eriol, did you have a nice sleep?"

"I suppose I did thank you Sakura." I glanced around. "Is Tomoyo still here or did she go home?"

Syaoran picked up the broom again and continued to sweep. "Oh, she said she was tired and wanted to go home. It's tough spending the day as the opposite of your gender…"

"I'll admit, it _is _rather trying."

Syaoran nodded in understanding; his eyebrows knitted in false sympathy. "Yeah, a real drag." Sakura, who had been scooping up the rest of the pasta into the dustpan, slipped and accidentally hit him in the leg with the handle. "Oh, sorry Syaoran, I slipped…"

I could have sworn she shot him a look, but it was too quick to establish _what_ the look was, let alone _why_ she had done it. I shook my head to dismiss the thought. "I must be going. It' getting late and I would like to get home before Nakuru gets bored and decides to see how many raspberry twisters it takes Suppi to destroy a room."

"You could stay for dinner if you like."

I shook my head. "No no, I wouldn't want to intrude" Sakura tipped the spilt pasta into the bin and they followed me to the door. "Are you going to walk home?"

"Yes, it's a nice time of the night, and despite the amount of walking I did today, I think the fresh air will do me good."

Sakura nodded and handed me my jacket as Syaoran flicked open the door and held it open. "Thank you, have fun you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That doesn't say much, you don't have any morals…there _isn't_ anything you wouldn't do…"

I chuckled and walked out the door. "You're probably right about that…Goodnight Sakura…my cute little descendant…"

Syaoran's chest thumped into Sakura's hand as she held it out to stop Syaoran coming after me… to inflict wounds no doubt. Sakura cheerfully called out. "Bye Eriol! Have a nice walk!"

I smiled and waited until the door clicked shut before I moved on. Strange though, I could have sworn I heard both of them start to laugh…

I strolled down the path, passing a middle-aged couple going for an evening stroll. I smiled and said as I passed. "Good evening."

They both gave me a funny look, before the lady replied, seeming a little unsure. "uh…evening…"

The next two people I passed both gave me strange looks too. I couldn't, for the life of me, think why. A guy, travelling in a largish group, passed and wolf whistled, causing the whole group to crack up. I frowned. There _must _be something I was missing. 

"EEERRRIIIOOOLLL!!!"

There was a high pitched giggle and I saw Nakuru run towards me, laden down with more bags than I thought was possible for one person to carry alone and a slightly green looking Suppi clinging onto her shoulder.

"Hello Nakuru, did you have fun shopping?"

She nodded enthusiastically as she bounded towards me, causing the already slightly green guardian on her shoulder to go even greener. "Oh yes! There was this big sale on and my Touya was working there and he carried all my bags for me-" She stopped as she reached me. "Oh my god…"

"What…what's wrong."

She pointed to my face. "Oh my god..." 

"What?"

"I LOVE THAT COLOUR!! Oh you have to tell me where you got that…what brand is it-"

"Nakuru, _what_ are talking about?"

"Oh, that colour on your eyes, I like it, it really suits your face…"

"_What colour_?"

She paused and looked confused. Suppi floated off her shoulder. "Is this a new development Master? I never thought of you as a make-up sort of man..."

I frowned.

Then froze. 

Then swore. 

Their laughter echoed in my mind. 

~~~~~

****

Syaoran's POV:

We both cracked up laughing as he left. I wiped a tear from my eye. "Oh, that was just brilliant."

Sakura was giggling helplessly next to me, but managed to compose herself enough to whack me on the arm. 

"What was that for?"

"'A real drag' indeed, you might as well have called him 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' and be done with it."

"Oh come on, you have to admit that was pretty funny."

She smirked slightly. "Yeah, I suppose for someone who doesn't have a sense of humor, it _was_ pretty good."

"Hey, I have a sense of humor thank you very much."

"You didn't find that cat joke Eriol told you the other day very funny."

"That's because it was stupid." I crossed my arms in a look of stubbornness. "But _you_ can't talk Miss 'You can stay for dinner if you like'. What if he had accepted? I wouldn't have been able to keep a straight face."

"I was merely being polite, and you know perfectly well that if I had have done otherwise, he would have known something was up."

I put on an innocent expression. "Oh I don't think he would have. He would probably just think you were anxious for a little 'alone time' with me. You know how his mind works."

She chuckled and reached for the door handle. "Sad, but you're probably right." 

Since the unfortunate accident in the kitchen, I didn't have anything else to eat so we were going out for dinner. 

Not that I'm complaining. 

We stepped out onto the path and she slipped her hand into mine so our fingers entwined. I smiled down at her then turned my gaze back to the setting sun. 

Well, today certainly had its' developments. Who knew Sakura could be just as evil as Eriol. She certainly pays attention. Originally it had been I who had started this whole revenge thing. But then Sakura just slipped right into the role…wore the pants of the situation, I suppose you could say. It was like she was just waiting for the opportunity. Hell, I'm just realizing how lucky I was that she didn't snap when I tried to take the cards off her the first time we met. The mind shudders at what she could have done to completely humiliate me. Unless this whole vengeful Sakura business is a new development. Maybe Eriol's just a bad influence. Not that that's much of a shocker. The sadistic little bastard set me one fire because of a _photo_. And he tried to burn my robes. 

I felt Sakura's hand jolt and I looked to see why she had stopped. She was grinning as she leaned around a corner. I frowned and was about to ask why when a shriek of 'EEERRRIIIOOOLLL!!!' followed by familiar giggles filled the air. I smirked as I leaned around the corner and saw Nakuru and a green looking Suppi run up to Eriol. I bit my lip as Nakuru stopped in her tracks and pointed at Eriol's face. "Oh my god…"

Sakura pulled out the camera as Eriol replied. We were just close enough to hear him.

"What…what's wrong."

"Oh my god..." 

Eriol started to look a little irritated. "What?"

I grinned and muttered under my breath "Wait for it…wait for it…"

"I LOVE THAT COLOUR!!"

I made a very Scooby sounding "Hmmnh?!?" as Nakuru started to babble. 

"Nakuru, _what_ are talking about?"

"Oh, that colour on your eyes, I like it, it really suits your face…"

Sakura snorted and smothered her giggles with her free hand.

"_What colour_?"

Nakuru looked confused as Suppi floated off her shoulder. "Is this a new development Master? I never thought of you as a make-up sort of man..."

Eriol froze, his eyes bugged out, and I saw him swear under his breath. I saw Sakura out of the corner of my eye put down the video camera and pick up a Polaroid camera from her bag. She giggled and stepped out from around the corner. 

"Say cheese Eriol!" 

He turned; a look of shock and slight fear on his face as a flash went off. I didn't have time to see anything else, as Sakura had darted back around the corner grabbing her bag and my arm in the process and bolted. Eriol's scream of rage echoed between the buildings as she dragged me along, giggling insanely.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

"Heh…well, at least his voice was back to its' normal pitch this time. 

~~~~~

The End

Wow, I managed to get 10 pages, so that's something. So what did you think? I had quite a bit of fun writing this story. It's not the end of what I like to call my 'Silly fic's' (Bad name…have to change that sometime…but that's the file name so it'll do for now ^-^) I've got an idea to do a series of short stories (with the CCS characters), one chapter is a new story, but that won't be out for a _long_ time. Firstly I've got to finish 'Sakura and the Big (Slightly) Bad-Tempered Wolf' and then I've got to do another story (AU) which I've wanted to do for a while. (It'll probably be long too. I'm going to really try to develop the characters, the relationships and the story, so it shall be fun). Anyway, keep watching the pages for more story/chapter updates from moi!! 

Ooh! If anyone is interested, I did a couple of drawings, basically just profile shots of the CCS characters in their alter egos. I think 'Xiao Lang' (a.k.a. Male Sakura) came out the best, but I'm not completely happy with 'Eli's'. I don't really have any pictures of Eriol, so most of it was drawn from the TV screen. (Pausing at all the good screen shots in the second CCS movie. ^-^) then I couldn't get her hair right, or the clothes and I kept changing it. It's a little smudgy, but it'll have to do. (I'm not on speaking terms with Adobe Photoshop…I get rather frustrated with that program.) Anyway, to find them, as well as some of my other drawings, just head to my rather poor excuse for a website (it's in my profile) and go to the picture's section.

Well, that's it for this little chappie. I know Sakura's a wee bit out of character in this whole story…but I like the concept of an evil Sakura. She just has so much potential. You don't see many evil Sakura stories. ^_~ Anyway, ciao till later!

StarDragon! 


End file.
